Abridged History of the 10th Age

Demons and Devils

“Demonology has never been very popular in the North. Elves hate it, and the First Men expressly forbade it to their mages. Of course, that doesn’t mean it never happens. Why, I myself have encountered no less than three demon-summoners of no small repute! Granted, one of them was in Essad and another in the lawless lands that used to be Teral.”

Demons (tanar’ri) and devils (baatezu) are extraplanar creatures that come from the mythical Abyss and Nine Hells. They are also reported to inhabit the Land of the Dead (the Seven Hells, or Seven Kingdoms of the dead). Demonology is something of a rare art amongst the men of the north due to the stigma associated with it by the First Men, as it is much more frequently practiced in the southern land of Zesh.

Demons and devils have extremely varied temperaments; while devils are generally prone to making deals (that almost never benefit those with whom they bargain), demons are extremely unpredictable and may be just as likely to attack as to even speak.

While very little is known of their organization in the other planes, wizards have discovered much about the holdings of the demons and devils within the Lower World. While the First Kingdom of the dead is generally thought to be the City of Akem, the realms below are various layers of punishment and retribution, reserved for those who fail their gods. In these regions lie vast burning deserts, icefields, and other horrors. Various strongholds in the lower kingdoms belong variously to the demons or the devils.

Devilish forces of the baatezu are often tasked with guarding caravans of damned souls into the deeps to their final punishments – however, tanar’ri raids just as often strike these caravans to steal the spirits and carry them off to some even worse fate.